Circular weaving loom



m 1941. I H, PEL E 2,248,281

CIRCULAR WEAVING LOOM Filed June 20, 1940 2 SheetS- Shaet 1 July 8, 1941. PELCE 2,248,281

CIRCULAR WEAVING LOOM Filed June 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 8, 1941 CIRCULAR WEAVING LOOM Henri Pelc, Flixecourt, France, assignor to Socit dite: Saint Freres, Socit Anonyme,

Paris, France Application June 20, 1940, Serial No. 341,575 In France July 18, 1939 Claims.

The present invention has for object a device for controlling the heddle frames in a circular weaving loom of the type in which the warp threads are fed at right angles or approximately at right angles to the axis of the loom and the heddle-carrying frames are lowered by means of cams acting on levers in antagonism to the action of returning springs. The rotation of said cams is suitably connected to that of the shuttles. This device is adapted to ensure the engagement and disengagement, in the predetermined order in synchronism with the passage of the shuttles, of the heddle-carrying frames in their position at the lower end of their stroke.

According to this invention one of the elements of the linkwork controlling each heddlecarrying frame cooperates with a resilient pawl and ratchet device which the operator of the loom can place in position awaiting engagement or in position awaiting disengagement, by a single control. When the pawl and ratchet devices are set in position awaiting engagement, at any instant, their resiliency allows the control mechanism to operate until the respective heddlecarrying frames are brought to the lower end of their stroke by the action of the cams; they are then retained and hold the corresponding warp threads lowered until the operator acts on the pawl and ratchet devices so that the latter are resiliently urged to release the linkworks controlling the heddle-carrying frames; the latter will then be restored upwardly by their respective springs only in proportion as the cams release their control levers.

Owing to the control and engagement devices thus combined, it is possible to hold lowered all the hcddle-carrying frames so that all-the warp threads are below the path followed by the shuttles and leave the latter completely uncovered and accessible. As the lowering and retaining of the heddle-carrying frames are obtained in synchronism with the rotation of the cams and, consequently of the shuttles, this uncovering of the shuttles takes place without any catching or risk of breaking the warp threads, without it being necessary to stop the loom and without the operator having to touch the threads to move them apart.

The placing in position of the pawl and ratchet devices can be effected not only at will by the operator, but also automatically by the operation of a thread-protector so as to immediately produce the uncovering of the shuttles for the easy and rapid repairing of the broken thread.

An embodiment of a control device accordin to this invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example, in its application to a circular loom in which the warp threads are fed at right angles or approximately at right angles to the axis of the loom.

Fig. 1 is a vertical half-section passing through the axis of the loom.

Figs. 2 to 5 are partial vertical sections showing in different positions, the levers and cams relating to a pair of frames.

In Fig. 1. a designates the fixed circular well through which descends the linen cloth formed by the warp threads I, 2, which are fed approximately horizontally with respect to said well by passing through the eyes of the heddles b1, be. The .frames 01, 62 in which said heddl'es are mounted are arranged in pairs around the well a, according to the faces of a vertical prism. They are vertically guided by means of rigid rods (11, d2 sliding through plates 0 j secured to the framework 9 which is diagrammatically illustrated in dot and dash lines, as well as by other rods parallel to the first ones, not shown in the drawings and adapted to prevent said frames from ro tating about their axis.

All these frames are upwardly urged through the action of respective springs hi. hi: connecting the rods :11 (12 to the plate 1'.

For periodically lowering the frames, inthis example, two cam shafts i are provided which are symmetrically placed on two opposite sides of the loom and each carrying as many cams i1 and i: as there are frames 01 c: on the corresponding half of the circumference.

Each cam controls the corresponding frame through the medium of a'batten 101 or 102 freely pivoting on a spindle 1 parallel to the shaft i, and

of a link work comprising a bent lever in; or ma and bonds m or m, or or 0: connecting said levers to the battens and to the frames respectively.

Of course, owing to the arrangement of the frames and consequently of the levers 1m 1m according to arcs of a circle, the bonds m m attached to the variousv levers have lengths proportional to the distances separating the latter from the corresponding spindles I.

Both cams i1 and 9'2 relating to one and the same pair of frames (:1 ca are rigidly secured so that the latter are lowered in turn during each revolution of the shaft 2', throughout the normal operation of the loom.

For that purpose, the rotation of the shafts i is connected to the rotation of the members which ensure, on the one hand, the continuous angle either by hand, or under the action of a mechanism set in action by a thread-protector of any type (not shown) operating automatically under the action of the breakage of the weft thread of any one of the shuttles. In the normal position indicated in Fig. 2, the spindle r is rotated so that all the blades s1 s: are lifted sufliciently for leaving the battens in k: quitefree to oscillate under the alternate control of the cams i1 i2 and of the returning springs hi, ha.

When the spindle r is rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow in Fig. 3, for instance, at the moment the battens in are pushed back by the cams 11, the blades .91 come under the upper noses of said battens, whereas the blades s2 press upon the heads of the battens k2 as illustrated.

The cams continuing their rotation (Fig. 4), cams i1 abandon the battens In which, under the action of the returning springs in, then press against the blades s1, thereby retaining the frames 01 and the respective threads in their lower position. At the same time, the battens k2 pushed back by,the cams 1: allow the blades 82 to come under their uppennoses and are then engaged in the position in which the frames oz and the threads 2 remain lowered.

From this moment, all the warp threads form a single annular sheet above which the shuttles can continue to circulate. The loom can then be stopped and it is easy to effect the maintenance or repairs necessary.

when the normal operation of the loom is to be resumed, the spindle r is caused to pivot rearwardly, as indicated by the arrow of Fig. 5; the blades s1 .92 will consequently lift as soon as they are freed by the noses of the battens, that is to say during the first revolution of the cam shaft i;

so that the alternate lowering of the frames c1 or will begin again in concordance with the rotation of the shuttles and that the latter engage in the shed thus formed again.

It is to be understood that the embodiment illustrated is given herein only by way of example and that all constructional details can be variedwithout departing from the invention: in particular the flexible blades s1 s: can be replaced by rigid fingers combined with springs or by any other members capable of acting as pawls, exerting a compression, traction or other action, for retaining the levers or battens in k: lowered in antagonism to the actionoi' the springs restoring the frames.

' Likewise, in the accompanying drawings, and

in the foregoing explanations, a loom has been chosen by way of example, weaving in plain" weave, but the invention can also apply to looms weaving in other weaves. In this case, the frames, battens, resilient blades and other corresponding members are arranged in series of three, four, etc., instead of being arranged in pairs.

I claim:

1. In a circular weaving loom the heddle-carrying frames of which are vertical and are moved vertically and downwardly by rotating cams, and upwardly by returning springs, a device for retaining said frames at the lower end of their stroke and for releasing them in concordance with the passage of the shuttles, comprising the combination of a series of levers loosely pivoted on a spindle, connected to the respective heddlecarrying frames, and normally pressed against the cams of a control shaft the rotation of which is connectedto that of the shuttles about the axis of the loom, a series of retaining pawls adapted to act on said levers so as to hold the latter spaced from said cams, and control means for engaging said pawls on said levers and for resiliently urging them away from the latter.

2. A device for retaining the heddle-carrying frames of a circular weaving loom as claimed in claim 1, characterised by the fact that each pawl is constituted by a resilient blade one end of which is secured on a control shaft and the other end of which is adapted to yieldingly press on an end of the respective lever when the latter is in the position corresponding to the lifting of the respective heddle-carrying frame, and to then come, by resilient relaxation, in position to engage said lever when it is pushed back by the respective cam in order to retain said frame in its lower position.

3. A device for retaining the heddle-carrying frames of a circular weaving loom as claimed in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the meansfor controlling said device are adapted to be controlled at will by the operator in the direction for preparing the engagement of said levers and in thedirection for preparing their disengagement, and to be controlled automatically by the breaking of any one of the warp or weft threads in the direction for preparing the engagement of said levers.

4. A device for retaining the he'ddle-carrying frames of a circular weaving loom as claimed in claim 1, in which the levers controlling said frames are provided at a suitable point with a nose placedin such a manner as to move in the areas of operation of said retaining pawl.

5. A device for retaining the heddle-carrying frames of a circular weaving loom as claimed in claim- 1, in which the control cams are arranged ingroups around the loom, in combination with frames.

HENRI PELCE. 

